Comic book films make for fan-friendly DVDs

Jun. 14, 2007

Ghost Rider: 2-Disc Extended Cut

Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Sam Elliott, Wes Bentley, Peter Fonda

2˝ stars

Modern special effects have made it increasingly easy to tell superhero stories, but computer-generated imagery has had a negative effect as well. Too many movie producers believe big budgets and computers will salvage their projects, no matter how ill-conceived.

"Ghost Rider" is an example. Twenty years ago, it would have been tough to tell the story of a motorcycle stunt man named Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) who turns into a flaming skeleton every evening. Just think of how corny it would have looked.

Today, the flaming skeleton is the simplest part of the equation. It's more difficult, however, to explain why Blaze turns into a skeleton and exactly what abilities he possesses when said event occurs. Like so many recent movies -- most notably "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" -- "Ghost Rider" changes the rules of its universe at will and without explanation. For instance, it seems that Ghost Rider can be pulled under water and nearly drowned with minimal effort. Yet, he can be run down by a fast-charging big rig and bounce back without pause. What gives?

That viewers never know whether the hero is in peril takes all the excitement out of the flaming skulls and revving motorcycles.

As disappointing as the film is, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment saw fit to give it a two-DVD release, and the extra features wormed an extra half star out of me. Disc one features two decent commentary tracks -- one by producer Gary Foster and one by writer-director Steven Johnson and visual effects supervisor Kevin Mack. Disc two has several great making-of pieces, a series of terrific shorts about Ghost Rider's history in comics and an animatic sequence.

-- Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal

Fantastic Four: Extended Edition

Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans

3 stars

With "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" hitting theaters today, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment saw an opportunity to release an extended cut of the original film on DVD, and -- unlike most recuts -- it's actually an improvement.

"Fantastic Four" was never a great movie, so the additional footage doesn't turn it into "Citizen Kane," but it does better flesh out some characters, particularly Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis).

The movie, directed by Tim Story, looks at the origin of the Fantastic Four, who gained miraculous powers after an accident in outer space. The cast, which includes Ioan Gruffud as Reed Richards and Chris Evans as Johnny Storm, is solid, with the exception of Jessica Alba, who plays Sue Storm. Since the character is supposedly a world-famous scientist, it was ludicrous to cast someone who barely looks old enough for college.

That, however, is a minor problem compared with the script, which spends more time dealing with character origins than crime-fighting.

Even so, fans will be happy with Fox's new two-disc set, as it contains both the original, theatrical cut and the extended version of the film. What's more, the latter version features an audio commentary by Story and a handful of other filmmakers, and the theatrical cut offers a commentary by Gruffudd, Alba and Chiklis.

Disc two has an excellent, hour-long feature on the creation and evolution of the Fantastic Four comic book franchise, a nice lengthy feature on artist Jack Kirby, a couple pieces related to Fantastic Four collectibles, an extensive collection of movie-related stills and some good making-of bits. If only the movie had been made with such care.

-- Hartman

A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films

3˝ stars

I'll admit it took me weeks to get around to watching this disc. It seems more like something I should watch rather than something I wanted to watch. I had heard about some of the shorts during the Oscars last year, but had never been a big fan of short films. However, once I finally popped it in one night before bed, I discovered this disc is jam-packed with brilliant, quality films that deserve to be seen.

"West Bank Story," which won an Oscar, hilariously skewers the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. It doesn't exactly seem like a topic ripe for comedy, but ethnic tensions were never so funny, I tell you. In "The Saviour," a one-handed Mormon missionary is obsessed with the married woman who recently ended their affair. Brilliantly done, it slowly ratchets up the tension -- I was riveted to the screen.

Not all the nominated films are here, however, there are bonus animated shorts that are equally good.

After seeing the pathetic offerings on that filmmaking reality show, I had despaired at the future of film, but after watching "Helmer & Son," "A Gentleman's Duel," and "The Danish Poet," I feel our theaters will one day be safe to enter again.